Simple scan to help beat high blood pressure

A SCAN could help identify hundreds of thousands of people with high blood pressure.

The test, which takes just 45 minutes, can detect 5p-sized tumours that cause blood pressure to rise.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge say it is far less invasive, quicker and more accurate than the current method.

It could revolutionise the treatment of high blood pressure which affects an estimated 12 million Britons.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, dramatically increases the risk of someone suffering a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke. So pinpointing people at risk from it could save thousands of lives a year.

The scan can accurately detect Conn’s syndrome. This is the most common curable cause of high blood pressure and is thought to affect five per cent – or around 600,000 – of all those with the condition.

The current test to identify those with the syndrome involves taking a blood sample from a specific vein supplying the adrenal gland to measure levels of a key blood pressure-regulating hormone called aldosterone.

It could revolutionise the treatment of high blood pressure which affects an estimated 12 million Britons

This is complex, can be difficult to perform, and often fails to diagnoses it properly.

While Conn’s is notoriously hard to spot, it can be successfully treated once identified. It is caused by a benign, 5p-sized tumour called an adenoma which grows in one of the adrenal glands. The tumour causes the over-production of aldosterone.

Treatment includes removing the affected gland through surgery or through a drug blocking the effects of the hormone.

The study – published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism – found that a PET-CT scan, commonly used to detect cancer, could identify Conn’s syndrome.

It showed the quick scan accurately identified adenomas causing high blood pressure in 76 per cent of patients.

Morris Brown, professor of clinical pharmacology who led the Cambridge study, said: “We were excited to see our technique work so well, and shortcut the delays and discomforts associated with the alternative test.

“In the future, PET-CT could be a quick way to reassure a lot of patients without the need for detailed investigations.”

Dr Shannon Amoils, research adviser at the British Heart Foundation, which helped fund the study, said: “This new approach offers real hope that more people with Conn’s syndrome will be accurately diagnosed in the future.”

High blood pressure is caused by factors such as diet, excess salt or alcohol consumption and lack of exercise. However genetics also plays a part, meaning some people are naturally more at risk than others.